Finding the perfect honeymoon destination is sometimes as hard as the wedding itself. It has its own way of making a lasting impression on what’s ahead in married life and you’d want the honeymoon to go as smooth as possible.

One of the first steps in planning a hassle-free honeymoon is making sure you choose honeymoon destinations that have a proven track record of serving couples some of the best times of their lives. So here’s a list we gathered, of exotic locations that are known to have a high success rate!

“Seriously, you don’t have to wait till counselling to do these partner activities! (jokes!)”

• Santorini Greece
Santorini remains a favourite and continues to top many other lists as the best honeymoon destination. Perissa and Kamari on the Thira Island are especially Romanic. There are also dozens of other honeymoon destination in the state you could consider during your honeymoon – this island is literally crawling full of honeymoon hotspots!

• Maui Hawaii
Hawaii has always been a standard honeymoon destination and is a staple to most wedding planners, due to the shear number of activities that could be done during your honeymoon. Surfing, scuba diving, and the traditional cultural dance classes among dozens of other activities that you both can indulge in. Many couples tend to forget that a honeymoon isn’t just about romance but also should be an interesting venture where you can learn and experience new stuff. And what better time to engage in such activities than the honeymoon to make it a truly awesome experience. Seriously, you don’t have to wait till counselling to do these partner activities! (jokes!)

• Crete Greece
Once again we return to Greece where the island of Crete is considered the third best honeymoon destination to include in your wedding planner. White sandy beaches, palm tree plantations and a trendy town to do some shopping is what attracts couples to the place. There are also several historical ruins in the area that could be visited for those who love history.

• Kauai Hawaii
Kauai is considered to be the master destination of seduction due to this gorgeous sunsets, super clean beaches, and marine life. This is also the oldest of the Hawaiian Islands so it makes this place a haven of activity and a must see for those who prefer to lay back and be pampered.

• Florence Italy
This small city is within the Tuscan hills and is sure to deliver the utmost pleasure and romance to any new couple ready to start their life together. It is popular for maintaining its traditional trends dating back to the 14th century, making most couples feel they have moved back in time during their honeymoon!

So what have you got in mind? Got any other suggestions or experiences you’d like to share? Let us know! Also, if staying somewhere closer to home is more your thing, you should definitely check out our own amazing Wedding Packages!

Below are five delicious low calorie wedding diets for you to consider including in your wedding planner.

• Cilantro cream on Steak and Potato Kebabs
Meat is often associated with increasing weight, but making sure you use lean meat and baking or microwaving it reduces the number of fatty calories at the end product. The kebabs can be sprinkled with poblano peppers, chilli powder, cumin and vinegar, before a layer of creamy source poured on the top. Be sure to serve the meal with salad to help improve digestion.

“because eggs only require control and if used in the right way, they don’t contribute to your weight in an adverse way”

• Tomato Cream with Cod Fish
Fish rarely has harmful fatty tissues so it is pretty safe to consume fish meat during your wedding diet. This dish is fabulous and should always be prioritised to help you enjoy your meals during your wedding and honey moon – because lets face it, we want to keep the weight off too right… right?

• Eggs topped with glazed tomatoes
Eggs are a small yet balanced package and should not be skipped during a bridal diet plan. This is because eggs only require control and if used in the right way, they don’t contribute to your weight in an adverse way. Poach the eggs and tomatoes separately then place the poached tomatoes on the eggs and add your favourite seasoning. This is a perfect meal with no trans-fats you need to worry about. Very simple to make with loads of flavour!

• Mushroom sherry sauce on cubed steak
Tenderised and baked lean steak requires to be smeared with mushroom sherry source to give it the flavour punched that you so rightly deserve. To add spice to the dish, you can also add blanched mushrooms to deliver a fat free bridal diet that is truly mouth watering.

• Tofu Bash
For the people who don’t like/can’t eat meat, tofu is an excellent alternative you should consider during a wedding diet. It needs to be cooked in your favourite sauce for absorbtion (because many people don’t like to stock-standard taste that it comes in). Mushrooms and other veggies can also be included and a topping used to garnish the dish.

Food taste plays a major role towards improving your wedding diet so make sure you enjoy your meals in the same way you would a wedding and honey moon; no holding back and passionately!

If you’ve just joined us now, head over to Part 1 of our Wedding Album series and start reading from there!

STEP 5: Arrange Your Wedding Proofs Like Telling a Story

Keep in mind your wedding photo book must follow the same sequences as the event unfolded during the wedding. This is vital to make sure the DIY wedding photo book achieves the required attention it needs from the person viewing the pictures. Don’t just put pictures in it randomly! Was your wedding put together randomly? So make sure they follow the same course of events as they occurred during the wedding?

The wedding photo book must also include proofs of your parents, family, friends and important guests that had attended the function. This requires proper distribution to avoid overwhelming the wedding photo book with pictures of people other then the wedding couple – you guys! Candid, formal, Black and white, and details of decorations at the wedding should also be included. Flower arrangements, bonbonniere and shots from over head of the wedding ceremony must all be included to give the wedding photo book a dynamic edge. The ratio of 1:3 should be used when including detailed photos to the albums. This means for every four photos, 1 should be related to detail. This is just a basic designers tip that isn’t compulsory but if you wanted a trade secret, well here it is!

“This is just a basic designers tip that isn’t compulsory but if you wanted a trade secret, well here it is!”

Step 6: Picture Placing in Albums

For any couple, this is the best and most rewarding step of the process since this is where the fruits of your labour come to fruition. You should begin by laying out the photos in the required sequences on a table, like a storyboard. This gives a clear perspective of the album at a glance and required changes. The changes could be made at this point before starting to place the images into the respective wedding photo book albums.

It is important to maintain the sequence to make the DIY wedding photo book achieve its desired appeal. Failure to do this will lead to re-doing the whole photo book and loss of time invested. Different albums should be used for each different occasion to produce the best DIY wedding photo books and ensure your wedding memories are kept intact throughout your life.

So that marks the final chapter and tips for creating your very own Wedding Album. If you have or are about to embark on your own, send us a picture and we’ll feature it on our Facebook page!

(Remember to check out part 1 of DIY Wedding Photo Books if you haven’t already done so!)

STEP 3: Album Type

We know that DIY wedding photo books are one of the most common DIY projects a newly wedded couple can undertake. This is because they are relatively easy to produce and are one of the first post marriage bonding experiences shared. The capacity, picture size and materials used to make the albums all play a major role during the selection of an album. You should never compromise with quality when choosing an album to store your proofs. Inferior quality will only increase the chances of damaging the photos. Consider high quality albums made of leather, canvas and suede as these will deliver more durability to last through the ages.

Coffee table wedding photo books are another popular and up-coming trend that many people are choosing to use. In this style of wedding photo book, photos are printed onto magazines. These require being compiled by a printing press and also may cost considerably more but the result is spectacular. It is also important to have a few dozen version of the wedding photo books printed thus helping reduce cost through a bulk purchase and ensuring you have extra copies for future reference.

DVD DIY wedding photo books are another trend that is growing in popularity. Here, the digital photos are compiled in the same sequences as events unfolded during the wedding and burned on to a DVD which could be played on any media player and watched on TV. These wedding photo books are also easy to share and could also be shared online.

Step 4: Take your Time on Deciding

The selection of suitable photos to include to your wedding photo book will take a cool 5-7 hrs and you will most likely be exhausted by then, so take your time. Once the proofs have been selected, numbered and arranged, take a well deserved break and forget about the albums for a day or two. This gives you time to clear your mind before returning to make your final decision and begin placements for the wedding photo books.

We shall be completing the steps required to putting together DIY wedding photos books in the 3^rd and final part of this DIY wedding photo book guide. So stay tuned to see what you require for the final steps!

Below are 6 vital steps required to take while putting together your wedding photo book to achieve stunning results. Due to the length of the process we will be breaking it in to 3 sections.

Step One: Consulting close friends and family

You need to consider that the wedding album will be shown to different people, which means your preference may take a backseat (but if its just for limited eyes, then go ahead and be selfish!). To help make the decision you will need to consult your spouse, family and friends regarding the photos you want to include in the wedding photo book. It is also vital to understand wedding photos should never be lent to anybody no matter how close they are! If you have duplicates the cards or files safe.

Step Two: Sorting the wedding photos

You must maintain the same sequence as events unfolded during the wedding. Wedding photos for each respective event should be placed in different folders. It is also advisable to make a wedding album for each event. Selection of the wedding photos should be done spontaneously. Pick the photos that you find most attractive without hesitation. This is also a matter of efficiency. Trust us, you could spend hours on this step alone!

“Pick the photos that you find most attractive without hesitation. This is also a matter of efficiency. Trust us, you could spend hours on this step alone!”

Now move on to insert the images into the wedding albums. The number of photos in your wedding album will depend on the size of DIY wedding album. For this reason you should always start with only the best and fill in the gaps later. Number the images using dot stickers or a pencil. This must be done lightly to avoid denting and damaging the photos. Permanent markers should never be used as they will bleed and smudge the DIY wedding photos.

This brings us to the end of part one of DIY wedding photo book. In part two we continue with more steps you require for a truly spectacular wedding photo book!

DIY wedding décor takes time to develop, especially when you want to use spectacular fruit themes. So here are some recommendations that you could choose from as well as some of our favourites for those willing to do some DIY wedding décor:

Grapes:

Many weddings take place in the middle of vineyards due to the couples love for grapes, cheese and wine but this is not always possible due to wether and other climate factors. Instead, grapes could be used to decorate cakes and they are always delicious to eat and look great as a garnish on the overall look on tables. Grapes come in a variety of colours and shades, which make them a favourite decor fruit since they could be matched to most unique colour combinations.

Apples:

Due to their wholesome nature, apples are popularly used for fall/autumn wedding themes. You could tie cards to their stems or decorate them with flowers to make fabulous centrepieces. The fruit also makes for delicious desserts – don’t forget about that!

Citrus Fruits:

Citrus fruits are great for brightening up reception areas. Slices of lemon and orange are commonly seen lining cocktails glasses but they could also be used to line vases. They also improve the appearance of fruit bowls, which could be carefully arranged to create fantastic fruit centrepieces. Escort cards can also be pined to them with guest names and table numbers, exposing guests to wedding themes that they’ll remember.

Cherries:

Cherries are a favourite and will definitely contribute well to your wedding themes. For the creative and fruity DIY wedding décor, their bright red is always an attraction to guests. Most people also love sweet cherry cakes and adding them on top to garnish the cake, ensure that your cherry theme is known throughout all elements of your wedding. They could be combined with blue berries and strawberries to create super colourful and delicious deserts that will have guests drooling for more.

So the objective here guys, is to not only have awesome desserts but see how the fruit you have at your wedding can also be used as great decorative pieces! You may also want to check what fruits are in season. If you’re in the QLD area, contact us to see how we can help with your decorations!

So rather than go out there and limit the value of your food and beverage to what only the bar can serve, inquire whether or not you can B.Y.O. Most venues can cater if it’s within reason. Like Champagne bottles on each table or, custom cocktails! If you’re going create your own cocktail list, consider learning some unique cocktail recipes that are bound to make an impression on the drinkers.

“So rather than go out there and limit the value of your food and beverage to what only the bar can serve, inquire whether or not you can B.Y.O.”

This does not mean to eliminate the basics like beers and wines or spirits, they also require to be available, but look at this as another way to match your theme colours. Cocktails drinks can also give a better impression during the ceremony, in regards to thoughtful planning and consideration on beverage options, which are bound to be appreciated and remembered by the guests.

Cocktails recipes come in a verity of colors and alcoholic content and most can be altered to make them taste different from each other. Your imagination will set the limit to developing the perfect cocktail drinks list! Here are a few examples:

1. Ciroc Lola
Ingredients:
30 ml Vodka
44 ml pomegranate juice
1 teaspoon elder flower liquor
1 Orchid blossom
Method
• Put all ingredients together and stir thoroughly with ice. Strain mixture in to cocktail glass of you choice. Pre-chill glasses in advance.
• Pour in a little champagne and garnish the cocktail drinks with the orchid blossom.

2. Godiva Chocolate Martini cocktail recipes
Ingredients:
30 ml Govida original Liqueur
7.5 ml Vodka
Method
• Add all ingredients together mix thoroughly and serve cocktail drinks in a pre-chilled martini glass.

3. Sparkling Traditional Sangria
Ingredients
44 ml red Sangria cocktail mixture
44 ml sparkling wine
1 orange slice
Method
• Pour the Sangria mixture and sparking wine in a champagne glass
• Garnish the cocktail drinks with a slice of orange

4. Baileys Minty Mistletoe
Ingredients:
60 ml Baileys Irish Cream
7.5 ml pepper mint schnapps
Method:
• Pour the Baileys and peppermint schnapps in to a cocktail shaker and shake the ingredients.
• Strain in to a martini glass and serve

5. Smirnoff Lemon Drop Martini
Ingredients:
37.5 ml Smirnoff vodka
7.5 ml triple sec
22.5 ml lemon juice

Methods
• Add the vodka, triple sec and lemon juice in to a cocktail shaker with ice
• Shake the mixture thoroughly
• Rim the martini glass with sugar before pouring the cocktail drinks and serve.

Many people will be traveling thousands of kilometers and many more will be watching the race from home. But Besides the horse and riders preparing, women are also in the race towards getting the best-dressed reviews. If you’re thinking of what to wear, here’s something that people don’t often think of – Melbourne cup fashion ideas from last year so as to create unique styles in preparation for this year’s big day.

With just over 82 days remaining to the start of the Melbourne cup and the Melbourne cup fashion carnival it is crucial that hat designers begin selecting designs now. And we reckon the best place to start is by looking back to last year’s examples – It’s like learning from the past so as not to make the same mistakes! lol.

Last year saw celebrities wearing spectacular hats with several abstract designs that, quite frankly didn’t look like hats at all. Some had unnecessary folds and rippling effects and others had a spiny look. Some of these weird designs however, complemented the hairstyles of celebrities and accentuated their overall silhouette. Several celebs were also seen wearing feathered hats but these were fewer and didn’t seem to make it on to the fashion magazines published after the race, as you would expect. Perhaps this year we could see a feather renaissance?

Don’t forget, that even though the Melbourne Cup is the horse races of all horse races, you could hit up your local races venue to try out different looks in anticipation of the big day. Many women will be attending these horse races to show off their hardware and new fashion trends, which coincidentally also includes the fashionable and iconic weirdness that comes in the territory. So this is your chance to scope out the competition ladies!

While it has become important to sport modern and fashionable designs, women should also consider the protection that their hats offer can them. The essence of headwear (especially in Australia’s climate) being worn for the Melbourne cup has changed drastically. It is now vital for the designer to consider both fashion as well as protection from the sun. Since this is the principle function of wearing a hat in the first place – we’d personally give extra points to those who look out for their wellbeing as well as their fashion prowess!

Celebrate Melbourne Cup 2012 with Surf Air at Drifts Restaurant!

We have a 2 courses and 3-course package that includes a glass of bubbly when you arrive. We’ve set up these two packages so you can choose however way you want to party. Reserve your spot at the Sunshine Coast’s premier Melbourne Cup Destination here. Click Image to book now!

While many of us may decide to go for a lesser known brands to keep our wedding budgets in check, the fashion industry is still somewhat responsible for the design. Remember, they set trends, push envelopes and determine what gains mass momentum in regards to popular culture. The design of your wedding dress, while still original, is still a result of inspiration from existing works of art – a culmination if you will.

So with this in mind, we thought it would be really cool to put together a compilation of what super models wear to their own weddings. It may not seem like a big deal but its not about the “models” per se but the fact that their jobs give them access to the worlds most coveted designers. So it would only be fitting for such an occupation to raise the bar in matters of ceremonial extravagance!

So which one is your favourite fashion industry wedding gown?

Caroline Trentini wearing Olivier Theyskens

Kate Moss wearing John Galliano

Coco Rocha wearing Zac Posen

Anja Rubik wearing Pucci

Lauren Bush wearing Ralph Lauren

Lily Aldridge in Vera Wang

Jacquetta Wheeler in Alice Temperley

Its actually the same reason why you would choose a certain style of heels or dress. You are your own bride and everybody should see how individual you are and how different your wedding will be the moment they see the wedding invitation.

“the truth is, you pay for the designer to “design” your wedding invitations but you’re not actually paying for their creativity”

Some of you may think, “well isn’t that what we pay the designer to do?” Well the truth is, you pay for the designer to “design” your wedding invitations but you’re not actually paying for their creativity either. They would actually often work of previous client designs or just whip something up on what they “think” an invitation should look like. The best way around this is to assist the process by finding examples of your own.

Just to give you a quick example of how its done, we’ve performed a google search ourselves for “awesome wedding invitations” and narrowed the search down to images-only. Already we saw loads of cool and awesome examples that serve as a cool inspiration to wedding invitations of your own.

There’s bound to be one suited to your personality and you can show your designer exactly what you like or want to use. You can use a few examples and pick out various elements to make up your own kind of frankenstein-ish creation, lol. So here are a few wedding invites that we hope to offer you a starting point for inspiration.

The Gamer Couple

The 8-bit design of this wedding invitation is perfect for couples who still like to battle it out on the X-BOX. Remember, you can be your total selves because its all about you guys! Besides, friends and family should already know that you guys are gamers and will totally ‘get it’.

Typography 

Sometimes you don’t need fancy borders or multiple colours. Using the sheer strength of good typography, your wedding invites can show that you know a thing or two about contemporary design. It’s also quite fun too. It’s not as stale as most other invites out there.

All Aboard!

How creative is this! This is perfect for couples who have a destination wedding in mind. A wedding that takes place in a remote location like in-land or on an island.